Suffolk College foundation election hits a snag

A rare battle for the chairmanship of the Suffolk County Community College Foundation was put on temporary hold in mid-stream earlier this month after one board member sought to have the election done by secret ballot.

The two contenders vying for the unpaid post are former college trustee Belinda Alvarez Groneman the current board chair Edward Boughal, a former county budget director who worked for the county for 32 years. Boughal has been chairman for five years and on the board for nearly a decade.

The chair of the foundation is an unpaid position. The non-pforift group last year raised more than $500,000 for student scholarships.

The voting had actually begun when the foundation board member Kevin Rooney, executive director of the Oil Heat Institute of Long Island, objected to having a public vote and instead sought a secret ballot.

The board then voted to hold a confidential ballot done by registered mail sent to the homes of all 16 board members. Results of the contest have not yet been completed since not all board members have returned their ballots.